This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew presents to you this week's version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Served Southern-style, with all the fixin's. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Tony Stewart: as the winner of this race, he automatically gets first billing. The win broke a 43 race winless streak. This is Smoke's first win at Talladega. Way to go Smoke!

Regan Smith: finished a career-best second place. While he never led a lap, he gave it his best effort to win the race, but came up just short.

DEI: with Smith, Paul Menard, and Aric Almirola, they finished 2-3-4. A HUGE shot in the arm for the organization.

Elliott Sadler: he had a strong car all day and led four laps en route to a fifth-place finish. Excellent effort.

Scott Riggs: he's very rarely been mentioned in any of these categories. He finished tenth and led four laps. A good job by a driver that's looking for a ride next season.

Honorable Mention: David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Bobby Labonte. 

THE BAD

Ryan Newman: as the last place finisher, he gets this dubious spot. He had mechanical issues all day. I wonder if he's counting down the days until he joins Stewart-Haas Racing?

Sterling Marlin: while he did well to qualify, his car also had mechanical issues.

THE UGLY

The Big One: the first one happened on Lap 69 and involved nine cars. It started when Brian Vickers' right front tire exploded and the following drivers were involved: Vickers, Martin Truex, Jr., Almirola, Kasey Kahne, David Gilliland, Terry Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Mike Skinner, and Tony Raines. NASCAR threw a red flag that lasted for 17 minutes.

The Big One, Part 2: this happened on Lap 174, and unlike the first one, this one had HUGE championship implications, as several Chase drivers were involved. A total of 12 drivers were involved: Carl Edwards (who started it), Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip, Travis Kvapil, Joe Nemechek, Reed Sorenson, and Juan Pablo Montoya. The first six are all Chasers. Another Chaser, Jimmie Johnson, NARROWLY escaped being involved. IMO, this clinched a third straight title for Johnson. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and Johnson was LUCKY. How he escaped, I have no earthly idea. I'll have something for Edwards later on.

This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew serves up a smoking hot slab of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, BBQ style, complete with corn on the cob, baked beans, and a side of salad. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Jimmie Johnson: as the race winner, he automatically gets first billing, and a healthy cyber helping of ribs, baked beans, salad, and Pepsi to wash it all down. He started from the pole after Juan Pablo Montoya's pole-winning qualifying effort was disallowed (more on JPM in a later blog). He led the most laps in the race. Great job by the #48 and his crew!

Roush Fenway Racing: I'm putting ALL the RFR drivers together in this category. Four of them (Edwards, Kenseth, Biffle, and Ragan) finished in the top 10 and with Jamie McMurray, all of them finished on the lead lap.

Jeff Gordon: not a bad finish for someone battling flu-like symptoms throughout the race. He was edged out at the line by Greg Biffle for third.

Kevin Harvick/Jeff Burton: the RCR teammates both started at the back of the field (Harvick started 36th and Burton started 43rd after a tachometer change as he began to leave pit road). It didn't take them long to charge to the front and stay there. While they didn't have the oomph to contend for the win, they had enough to stay in the top 10. But the way Edwards and Johnson are running, top 10s won't be enough to stay in the Chase for long.

Clint Bowyer: he had an eventful day to start. First he was black-flagged for passing on the start of the race. Then he goes a lap down. He gets a free pass, then he starts working his way towards the front. Unfortunately, he faded to a 12th place finish.

AJ Allmendinger: he finished a career-high 9th place in what may have been his final race for Team Red Bull. Whoever ends up with Allmendinger will be getting a driver starting to find his groove in the second half of the season.

Elliott Sadler: a very good, and much needed, top 10 finish for ESad. Had a strong car throughout the weekend; he started fourth and finished 10th.

Honorable Mention: Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Casey Mears.

THE BAD

Scott Riggs: had mechanical issues throughout the race, including spending time in the garage for an extended period. He finished 42nd.

Kyle Petty: if Petty Enterprises is to become a viable team again, he needs to find a quality replacement for him in the #45 car. It's become very painful to watch him race. A bright future awaits him in the booth, as he is one of the better commentators.

Joe Nemechek: what was this #### doing RACING with the leaders at the very end of the race? Dude, you're a field filler now, let Johnson and Edwards race to the finish and move the *bleep* out of their way.

Robby Gordon: consider his little experiment of owning a one-car team over. He was halfway decent when he was driving for RCR, winning some races and putting together some top tens. He's a field filler now. He's been rumored to go to DEI next season.

THE UGLY

Kyle Busch/Tony Stewart: both JGR teammates had their issues today. Busch had issues early in the race with a sputtering engine. Fortunately for Busch, the issues worked themselves out and he even led a lap. But they didn't work themselves out well enough, as he later fell two laps down. He finished 28th. As for Stewart, he and Brian Vickers were involved in an incident in which Vickers and Stewart made contact, sending Stewart sideways into the infield grass and damaging his front splitter. His car lost downforce as a result and he spent two minutes in his pit stall as his crew repaired the damaged splitter. In the process, he lost six laps.

Martin Truex, Jr.: he had such a strong run in which he was in the top 10 much of the race; in fact, he led some laps and got the five bonus points. Unfortunately, a transmission failure relegated him to a 43rd place finish. That's UGLY.

Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours. 

Crappafoni Pictures proudly presents this week's version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, presented with a Michigan twist.

THE GOOD

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: as the race winner, he automatically gets first billing. Congratulations on breaking a two-plus year winless streak! I've said that he'd win at a track that he wasn't expected to win at. Michigan qualifies for that! This was Chevrolet's first win at Michigan since June 2001, when Jeff Gordon piloted his Chevrolet into Victory Lane.

Kasey Kahne: had a strong car both early and late. Fuel strategy allowed him to finish a strong second.

Roush Fenway Racing: four cars in the top 10 will get you in this category. Jamie McMurray got a free pass, and his car got stronger as the race went on.

Red Bull Racing: Brian Vickers finished 4th, and A.J. Allmendinger finished 19th. Vickers may have had the car to beat had it not been for that last caution.

Tony Stewart: his car ran in the top 10 much of the day, culminating in a strong 5th place finish.

Elliott Sadler: finished strong in 9th. He had a strong car much of the day, spending much of it in the top 15.

Honorable Mention: Jimmie Johnson.

THE BAD

Dario Franchitti: as the last-place driver, he gets first billing in this dubious category. Better luck next week, D.

Juan Pablo Montoya: I think he unloaded a bad car and it got much worse as the race went on. He finished nine laps down.

Bill Elliott: the former champion has turned into a field filler. As recently as 2002 he was in the hunt for a championship. As much as I like Bill Elliott, I think it's time for him to hang up his helmet and enjoy retirement.

THE UGLY

Ryan Newman: the Daytona 500 winner had mechanical issues and spent a LOT of time in the garage. He finished in 42nd, 89 laps down.

Robby Gordon: a hard crash on Lap 152 ended his day early. He'll be a factor next week at Sonoma.

J.J. Yeley: had mechanical issues and spent time in the garage. He returned to the race to finish 87 laps down.

Dave Blaney: he brought out the first caution of the race when a rear axle broke. He returned to the race and actually picked up four positions through attrition. A sub-good for that.

Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours! 

I dedicate this edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly to our brave men and women in uniform, and especially to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice. To our veterans, thank you.

THE GOOD

Kasey Kahne: as the winner of the Coca-Cola 600, he gets first billing. He also accomplished a rare feat, winning the All-Star Race and the 600 in the same year.

Roush Fenway Racing: all five of their drivers finished on the lead lap in the longest race of the season. They have turned the corner and I won't be surprised to see at least three of their drivers in the Chase (Edwards, Biffle, and Ragan).

Elliott Sadler: ran strong throughout the race, even led a few laps. Hopefully his bad luck has run out and he can run the way he's capable of running.

David Reutimann: a superb run by him to finish in the Top 10. Although he never led, he was in the Top 10 for almost half the race, 174 laps to be exact.

Jeff Gordon: fought an ill-handling car all race long to finish in the Top 5. His car was a piece of #### to start, then as the race went on it slowly started getting better. He turned a marginal Top 25 car into a Top 5 finish; it's a tribute to the patience and belief in his crew he has, and to his abilities as a driver. Showed why he's one of the all-time greats.

Honorable Mention: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton.

THE BAD

Robby Gordon: continues to show why a one-car team has gone the way of the dinosaur. He would best be served if he sold his team to another team looking to add another driver.

Kyle Petty: I hate having to put him in this category consistently, as he is one of sports' great humanitarians. But he consistently finishes in the mid to upper 30's. That's why I have to put him here. If I had GBU last year at this time, he'd have definitely been in the Good category. (He finished 3rd in last year's race)

J.J. Yeley: can someone PLEASE tell me why this guy still has a ride? He can't seem to get out of his own way. He has done worse than the driver he replaced, Tony Raines. At least Raines finished in the Top 10 a couple of times last season and he wasn't tearing up Hall of Fame Racing cars. And Yeley subsequently rear-ended Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after Jr cut a tire and crashed into the wall.

Fox's Broadcast: DW, your man-crush on Kyle Busch is quite obvious. There ARE 41 other drivers out there besides Busch and Kasey Kahne. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to the end of the Fox broadcasts. On second thought, maybe not. ESPN awaits, and they're FAR WORSE.

THE UGLY

Brian Vickers: his left rear wheel came completely off and caused him to crash out of the race after he had one of the cars to beat. David Gilliland subsequently played car soccer, launching the errant tire skyward, with the tire landing in the infield camping area.

Tony Stewart: had the race in hand until he made contact with the wall with two laps to go and subsequently had to pit.

Jimmie Johnson: looked like he was well on his way to a possible win when his engine expired with 49 laps to go. His up and down year continues.

Those are my nominations. Feel free to come in with yours! 

Just because this isn't a points race, it doesn't mean Crappafoni Pictures will take a week off! We've got NASCAR to bring to the masses! Hereby we bring to you the All-Star Race edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, served with a mid-South flavor. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Kasey Kahne: as the All-Star winner, he gets first billing. Not bad for being voted in by the fans. For all the times I've put him in either the Bad or Ugly category, it's LONG overdue he gets in this column!

Sam Hornish, Jr.: he raced his way into the Challenge by finishing in the Top 2. From there, he finished in the Top 10 in the Challenge. Good job.

Roush Fenway Racing: had two segment winners in Carl Edwards  (segment 2) and Greg Biffle (segment 3). Along with Matt Kenseth, these three finished in the top 10. The Roushkateers feel right at home at 1.5 mile tracks, particularly Edwards.

Mark Martin: he still has the fire in the belly, despite racing only part-time. Finished solidly in the top 10.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: led laps at various times in the Challenge, eventually finishing in the top 10.

Honorable mention: Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson.

THE BAD

Richard Childress Racing: as good as they have been in the early part of the season, they never really were a factor in this race. Kevin Harvick had the team's best finish, at 11th, just missing a top 10.

Joe Gibbs Racing: had two of its drivers blow engines during the race. Kyle Busch's engine gave up the ghost after segment 2. Denny Hamlin's engine blew on lap 85. And even Tony Stewart had to change engines before the event and started at the rear of the field.

Kurt Busch: started the Challenge 3rd and backed up throughout the event. He ended up finishing 22nd. He really backed up in the final segment.

Jamie McMurray: he brought up the rear as far as Roush Fenway Racing drivers went. Although he was in the top 10 for 9 laps, he finished 19th.

THE UGLY

Joe Gibbs Racing: two blown engines. They rolled the dice and came up snake eyes.

Those are my nominations! Feel free to come in with yours!

For the past couple of weeks, the rumors of Tony Stewart asking for his release from his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing have been running rampant. The rumors first started at Phoenix, when the first rumor of Smoke leaving Gibbs to join Haas-CNC racing as part owner of one of the teams surfaced. Stewart's relationship with GM extends to his World of Outlaws teams, and his USAC Midget and Sprint teams run Chevrolets as well. In fact, Chevrolet is the official vehicle of Eldora Speedway that Stewart owns.

Now, one might ask, where could Smoke end up? One possibility is with Haas-CNC Racing in an ownership capacity. He would be part owner of the car that he would drive. Haas-CNC Racing has an alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, and as such, have Hendrick horsepower under the hood. Smoke has stated he's too politically incorrect to be an owner. Bullbleep!! Smoke would be a GREAT owner!

Possibility #2 is joining RCR's new fourth car. Aside from occasional dust-ups with Kevin Harvick, he and Happy get along great. He would be that rock star figure that would bring in additional sponsors (perhaps Home Depot might go with him to the #33 if that were to happen). And Richard Childress would be the kind of owner that Smoke would gravitate to. Smoke would be able to talk to Childress and get the kind of results he is looking for. Plus, with his past champion's provisional, he wouldn't have to worry about qualifying on time.

A third option, but one that is a remote possibility, is that of Stewart and Harvick becoming co-owners of a Cup car that Stewart would drive, and the car becoming affiliated with RCR. Harvick has said that he has no immediate plans of becoming a car owner in Cup. Plus, I don't see that happening, not now, and not in the immediate future.

If I'm one of the bigwigs at Joe Gibbs Racing, I'd be more than a bit nervous about the possibility of Smoke leaving. Smoke has to do what is best for his future. As an RCR fan, I'd LOVE to see him in that fourth RCR car! But will he be there? Only time will tell. 

Could these four be NASCAR's new Dream Team in 2009?

What do you think? Your comments are welcome.

Yesterday, I read that RCR will be fielding a fourth team for 2009, with sponsorship from General Mills. The #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Impala will be coming to a Cup track near you. Speculation is running rampant as to who will be the driver. Here are a few names that are being tossed around, about, and thrown to the wind: 

Driver Clint Bowyer, right, talks with owner Richard Childress during rain delay at Bristol. Childress said he'll be fielding a fourth team in 2009.  (AP Photo)

• Bobby Labonte: he's currently the driver of the Petty Enterprises' #43 Dodge, currently sponsored by General Mills. General Mills will leave Petty Enterprises for RCR. Being a past champion, the champion's provisional is very attractive to that new team. The #33 would automatically be in the field for the first five races of 2009 should Labonte go to the #33. He runs a semi-full Nationwide schedule for RCR already, driving the #21 Chevrolet. And he has driven for Kevin Harvick Incorporated in the recent past in the Busch Series. The one downside is that he will be 44 years of age at the start of the 2009 Daytona 500.  
• Tony Stewart: I've been saying for the past year that Smoke would bring Home Depot with him to RCR in the #33. Doesn't appear that Smoke will be in the #33, as he is loyal to Home Depot and Joe Gibbs Racing. Stranger things have happened.
• Martin Truex, Jr.: his contract with DEI will expire at the end of the season. He is very talented, and he has the personality that would mesh in the garage with Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer. He would be in superior equipment (see Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) to what he currently has at DEI. He made the Chase last season and generally qualifies well.

Now here are some drivers that may be outside the box.

• Dan Wheldon: he has already stated that he is interested in making the jump from IRL to NASCAR. Currently he is in the final year of his contract with Chip Ganassi. He's been very strong on the IRL ovals where Cup races are also ran, such as Chicago, Indy, and Richmond. Certainly worth talking to. 
• Helio Castroneves: I don't know his contract status in IRL, but could you picture him in NASCAR? He can flat out drive a car. Plus, he'd bring in even more fans to NASCAR. And the swoon factor would be off the charts.
• Ryan Newman: he would bring an analytical and scientific approach to the #33 car with his engineering degree from Purdue University. In years past, he's been rumored to leave Penske Racing for Yates, Roush, DEI, and Gibbs. Will this be the year he finally leaves Penske for greener pastures?

Currently, Bobby Labonte is the favorite to be the driver of the #33. He could be driving that car before the end of the season. If the report from Yahoo Sports is true, Labonte will be the driver of the #33. It would be a HUGE coup for RCR. We will know in the coming days.

Throughout the world of sports, there are enough dolts, idiots, and general miscreants that just totally tick off you, the Joe Six Pack fan. I know I get ticked off by some of these dolts and miscreants. Here is your forum for you to throw these miscreants and ingrates Under The Bus. And away we go!

MLB

New York Yankees: they are thrown under the Bus for TWO reasons: Shelley Duncan and Billy Crystal. Duncan is the genius that decided to pay back the Tampa Bay Rays for a smart, physical play one of the Rays' reserve OFs made when he bowled over the Yankees' reserve catcher, breaking the catcher's wrist in the process. He decided a little payback was in order, so he went up high on Akinori Iwamura. Problem is, Duncan was thrown out by 20 FEET. Duncan spiked Iwamura in the groin, sparking a bench-clearing brawl. If you're going to exact payback, do it with a good, hard, CLEAN slide, such as breaking up a double play attempt. Don't go bush league and go in spikes high. Crystal is a fading comic that wanted one last blaze of glory. So the Yankees accommodated him. What, Richard Mulligan wasn't available? (He played Crystal's stepfather in the 1970's TV series "Soap") There were a NUMBER of ways the Yankees could have done this right, sending him to their FANTASY camp and being a guest in the owner's box for the first Yankees-Red Sox series being two ways. DON'T turn a spring training game played by REAL players into some aging comic's fantasy camp. For mocking spring training and Shelley Duncan's bush league play, the Yankees get thrown Under The Bus TWICE.

MLB: for scheduling a couple of spring training games in China featuring mainly AAA ballplayers with the major league managerial staffs of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. I wonder if the Chinese REALLY think these are the best players the Dodgers and Padres brought to China? The Dodgers only brought a handful from their major league roster. They left the rest of the major leaguers in Florida. I'm fine with a traveling all-star team going to Japan or China or South Korea after the season. MLB gets thrown under the Bus for false advertising, particularly to a new and potentially explosive market.

NASCAR

Jamie McMurray: this guy can't seem to get out of his own way. He's reverting to the early 2007 Jamie McMurray. It's not like he's forgotten how to drive. And with the early season success of teammates Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards, even more pressure is on him. He's not even a top 35 car now. He's a GOGH driver, and if he doesn't qualify for Martinsville in two weeks, he'll have dug a hole he cannot get out of. He would make Jack Roush's decision to cut one team a whole lot easier. The pressure is really on McMurray at Martinsville. If he does end up qualifying for the race, and has a strong finish, he'll safely be in the top 35. Dust yourself off from being thrown under the bus, qualify strong at Martinsville, and have a good solid finish. (I HATED to do that to a good guy like McMurray!!)

Tony Stewart's spotter: after the wreck (and subsequent apology) of Stewart, Kevin Harvick apologized, and his spotter apologized to Stewart's spotter. Stewart's spotter was wanting to kick some ####. Spotter should take FULL responsibility for telling Smoke that Happy was coming right behind him. He fell asleep. Smoke's spotter goes under Smoke's bus.

That's all I have for now. Come in with your nominees!

I am writing this early due to a family committment later this afternoon. I present you NASCAR's version of the spaghetti western with a Bristol twist.

THE GOOD

Joe Gibbs Racing: it's becoming a weekly thing as to which driver is the class of the field. This week it's been Denny Hamlin.

Richard Childress Racing: all three cars have been solidly in the Top 10 since the drop of the green flag. Clint Bowyer's win yesterday in the Nationwide Series race could be a harbinger of things to come.

Jimmie Johnson: this week has been much better for the two-time defending champion. Very solid run that was much needed. This will give him momentum as the Cup series goes to Martinsville in two weeks.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Junior Nation HAS to be stoked at his consistent good runs. He WILL get into Victory Lane sooner rather than later. Another very solid run at Bristol.

Aric Almirola: the DEI rookie is having a very solid run today, considering his lack of experience. (This is only his seventh Cup start) If this is a harbinger of things to come, he has a bright future.  

THE BAD

Kyle Busch: not so much him, but his power steering line going out while he was the race leader. At the very least he'll be several laps down.

Jamie McMurray: unless he turns it around quickly, he could be without a team sooner rather than later.

THE UGLY

Mike Skinner: fortunately he was able to escape the fire that was coming out of the #84 car. He's fine and will race another day.

Dario Franchitti: gotta put him in this category for starting a multi-car wreck.

I'll be leaving shortly, so GO #29! This is the condensed, hurried version of GBU. 

As I'm writing this, the Atlanta race is just about over. Starting today, I am injecting a little spaghetti western twist after each NASCAR race. I will pick some drivers in the Good, Bad, and Ugly categories. Feel free to nominate your choices of drivers in each category. Here are my picks.

THE GOOD

Kyle Busch: he has been TEARING IT UP from the drop of the flag in the Craftsman Truck Series through the Cup race in Atlanta. First in Truck Series AND Cup points. Third in Nationwide points. Not only that, he has shown patience and maturity while keeping his reckless abandon style of racing. Now he's added a win to his Truck Series win from Friday evening. With the win, it's the first win by a foreign make since 1954, when a Jaguar won a race.

Brian Vickers: gotta give HUGE props to Kyle Busch's Toyota stablemate. A very solid Top 10 finish will ensure him of a Top 35 position after Bristol even if he doesn't make the race there. Good for him.

Richard Childress Racing: WOOHOO! All three of the RCR cars had solid Top 10 finishes. Historically, RCR has always ran well at the ATL. A sub-good to Kevin Harvick for great runs in both the Nationwide and Cup races. For Harvick, it was his first top-10 at the ATL since his rookie year in the fall 2001 race, when he finished third. 

Joe Gibbs Racing: props for a 1-2 finish at the ATL. Smoke finishing second. Good job JGR.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: back to back very solid runs for Junior. He'll get to Victory Lane sooner rather than later. Going to Hendrick Motorsports was exactly what Junior needed.

THE BAD

Kasey Kahne: just when it seemed like he was back, he struggled to a 26th place finish. Perhaps it was an aberration. Let's hope so, because when he's on, he's one of the more compelling drivers.

Jamie McMurray: his crew TOTALLY missed on the setup, relegating him to a 40th place finish. This is a make or break year for McMurray. With results like these it could be a no-brainer for Jack Roush as he decides which team to whack.

DEI: when your top driver finishes a lap down, that will get you in this category every single time. Paul Menard finished a lap down in 19th. Both Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. finished four laps down. Regan Smith finished five laps down.

Jimmie Johnson: I've gotta put him in this category because if it wasn't for Elliott Sadler giving JJ two free passes, JJ would have finished multiple laps down. His car was a piece of garbage throughout the race. At one point, the crew had to make major adjustments, going under the axle to make adjustments. Even though he finished 13th, and being the last car on the lead lap, his car was a 30th place car. Perhaps he can shake the slump that's bitten his crew at the bullring known as Bristol next week.

Jeremy Mayfield: in a few short years, he has gone from a legitimate championship contender to a field filler. Perhaps this is the break he so needed to reestablish himself as a top driver, driving for a satellite team of Hendrick Motorsports.

THE UGLY

Elliott Sadler: he WAS the caution on THREE different occasions, the last one knocking him out of the race. He looked like a lost rookie out there. Too bad for E-Sad, as he is one of the most likeable drivers on the circuit. Here's hoping for a solid finish next week.

Carl Edwards: he went from being the dominant car to being out of the race in one fell swoop. For awhile it looked like he would win three in a row. The next five races will make or break Edwards' year, as he will be without Bob Osborne. Was it me, or did it look like Robbie Reiser didn't want to be up in the pit box?

Overall, it was a pretty safe race, with no multi-car accidents and most of the cautions were for debris on the track. There were some good long green flag runs. Kyle Busch had the best car and earned his win. 

Speedweeks is upon us, and with it the beginning of a new NASCAR season. The Car of Tomorrow will be run full-time starting this season. Some teams ran well with the COT, while others struggled and used the offseason to catch up. Currently, Hendrick Motorsports is the Gold Standard for the COT. With that being said, here are my 12 drivers that I predict will make the Chase this season:

• Ryan Newman: he ran much better towards the end of the season. Look for Flyin’ Ryan to return to his 2004 form. Predicted finish: 12th.
• Carl Edwards: if he can rein in his temper, he’ll be a threat to win the championship. Unfortunately, I think he'll be involved in an incident that will throw him off for a few races during the Chase. Predicted finish: 11th.
• Greg Biffle: like Newman, Biffle ran better in the last third of the season. Now if he can only acquire Carl Edwards’ equipment, he’d be a threat to win the title. Should he win the title, he would be the first driver to win championships in the Truck Series, Busch (now Nationwide) Series, and Cup Series. Predicted finish: 10th.
• Jeff Burton: has made the Chase the last two seasons. Unfortunately, has faded down the stretch in those two seasons. While I think he'll avert that fade this season, the field is just too strong this year. Predicted finish: 9th.
• Matt Kenseth: very steady and unflappable, but with a new crew chief, one has to wonder about chemistry issues that may crop up during the Chase. Predicted finish: 8th.
• Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: he no longer has to worry about being The Man. He can just focus on racing. And he will. He'll win a few races this year. Could contend for his first Cup championship. Predicted finish: 7th.
• Jeff Gordon: will win his share of races this season. Will be in the hunt for the title up to the final race of the season. Will finish short. Predicted finish: 6th.
• Tony Stewart: new make of car, same old Smoke. Could win his third title with his third different make of car, but will fall short. Predicted finish: 5th.
• Clint Bowyer: will prove that last season was no fluke, as he will stay in contention until the final race of the season. He'll win a couple of races this season. Predicted finish: 4th.
• Kurt Busch: always a threat to win anywhere, anytime. Look for him to be very strong the whole season, perhaps win it all with a few breaks. Predicted finish: 3rd.
• Kevin Harvick: I look for him to be much stronger this season. The tire issues and plain bad luck has to and should go away this season. This is the season that the #29 team breaks through and truly becomes a serious contender for the Cup title. Predicted finish: 2nd.

AND YOUR 2008 SPRINT CUP CHAMPION:

• Jimmie Johnson: the #48 team is as close to perfection as a team can get. They are the New England Patriots of NASCAR. Johnson matches Cale Yarbrough's record of three straight Cup championships. Give him another decade of dominance and he could win another 6 to 8 Cup championships. When it's all said and done, he could end up with double-digit championships and triple-digit victory totals (surpassing David Pearson in the process in wins). When we see Johnson race, we are witnessing a part of NASCAR history.  

I am back from a one-week hiatus due to the Super Bowl. I know you sports fans are ITCHING to get the object of your ire off your collective chests. In other words, you want to throw some players, teams, owners, executives, and/or coaches Under The Bus. Here is the forum to do so.

NASCAR

Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart: okay guys, maybe you should be auditioning for "Dancing With The Stars." After the meeting in the NASCAR hauler, it got awfully quiet in each driver's camp, and each driver giving similar canned responses, errrrrr, toeing the Party Line. C'mon, where's your fiery passion? On that note, the ruling hierarchy of NASCAR also should be thrown under the bus for not allowing Busch and Stewart to settle it like men did back in the day: under the grandstands, with their fists. Then the two drivers can have some Miller Lites in the garage area afterwards.

MLB

Roger Clemens: I'm getting tired of this guy's act. He should just go away. Or better yet, be thrown under the Bus.

Brian McNamee: see Roger Clemens.

Bud Selig: perhaps Congress should step in and rip the commissioner's office from Selig. Selig being thrown under the Bus is a given for allowing players to cheat and steroid up and HGH up. The purity and integrity of the game is lost, perhaps forever. Thanks a lot, Bud.

NBA

Phoenix Suns: I can sum up trading for an aging, declining Shaq in one word--DESPERATION. This is in response to the Lakers engineering a BRILLIANT trade for Pau Gasol, a former All-Star, and giving up next to nothing. As a Lakers fan, I'm glad the Suns have mortgaged their franchise for the next five years to chase a title they're not winning this year or any time in the near future. Myopic Suns fan that is drinking the cactus-flavored Kool-Aid that Shaq is serving up also gets thrown under the Bus. (Yes, there are Suns fans that DO NOT like this trade, believe it or not! They DON'T get thrown under the Bus)

New York Knicks: they will continue to be thrown under the Bus until Isiah Thomas quits or gets fired. And why do they suddenly go on a winning streak near the end of the season EVERY year? 

I'm sure I have others, but I can't think of any at present. What say you?  

• Congratulations to Natalie Gulbis (she was in France, hence the French spelling of her name) for winning her first LPGA Tournament, the Evian Masters in France. It's good to see her shed the "Anna Kournikova of the LPGA Tour" label.
•  Congratulations to Tony Stewart for winning the Brickyard 400. He had the dominant car and earned that win.  
• Don't look now, but the races in the NL Central and West have tightened up considerably. In the wild wild West, there are three teams within a half game of first (Los Angeles, Arizona, and San Diego) and another within 3 1/2 games (Colorado). In the NL Central, the Cubs have closed to within hal####ame of the Brewers.
  
• NFL training camps have opened, and that means REAL football is coming soon. It can't come soon enough!!